Do you know what Swiss goat herders eat for breakfast before yodelling to their herds in alpine pastures? Me neither. But I can imagine. And I like to imagine that they eat Bircher Muesli, a hearty, healthy breakfast dish will fill you up, taste amazing, please anybody’s palate, energize you and ummmm… help keep things “moving”. That’s right- a bowl of this breakfast treat is likely to contain more fibre than a bowl of Fibre One breakfast cereal. I don’t recommend eating a bowl of this and then dashing out the door to your own wedding ceremony (or on a long car trip for that matter). So eat your breakfast and relax around the house a bit- it’s good for you!

This is also a great breakfast that can be customized for a crowd. Soak a bowl of oats for each person overnight, and in the morning they can choose their favorite fruit, nuts, sweetener and add-ins.

Bircher Muesli(Serves one.)

1/2 cup uncooked oats (any type other than steel-cut is fine)

Water, as needed

1 piece of fruit that can be grated, like an apple or pear

1/2 cup yogurt (I choose fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt)

3 tbsp slivered almonds

1 tsp honey or maple syrup

1 tbsp lemon juice

Add-ins of your choice

The night before, put the oats into your breakfast bowl and just cover with water. Seal bowl with plastic wrap and leave on counter overnight.

In the morning, toast the slivered almonds in a dry pan until just golden brown.

While the almonds toast, grate your fruit on a box grater and add to the oats. Stir in the yogurt, lemon juice and sweetener. Add hot almonds (I like the sizzling sound!).

Serve as is, or add in even more treats. Sliced berries, pomegranate seeds, sliced bananas, toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds, dark chocolate slivers, etc. You can experiment with the soaking liquid (try some different juices, if desired), try different nuts (or stir in some nut butter), and you can even replace the grated fruit with dried fruit that you soak overnight with the oats (though I love the texture the grated fruit adds).

Nutritional Estimate: As I prepared it today, it came in at a fairly high 450 calories (so eat as part of a balanced diet), 14 grams of fat, 15 grams of fibre and 18 grams of protein! You can also cross off some of your Recommended Daily Intakes: 8% Vitamin B-6, 23% Vitamin C, 35% Vitamin E, 21% Calcium, 46% Copper, 16% Folate, 28% Iron, 52$ Magnesium, 225% Manganese (what is that stuff?), 9% Niacin, 53% Phosphorus, 20% Riboflavin, 45% Thiamin, 27% Zinc. Nutritional information will vary greatly depending on how you customize your breakfast.